Film and TV Portrayals
Claud Eustace Teal has appeared in numerous film and TV adaptations of The Saint. Generally (though not always) dramatic depictions of Teal have presented him as a rather less competent policeman than in the novels, with his ponderous approach exaggerated at the expense of his detection abilities. In his most significant adaptation (the 1960s British television series) he is presented as almost incompetent, with his success in solving cases always down to the efforts of Simon Templar.
When The Saint was first adapted for cinema by RKO Radio Pictures, five of the eight films in the RKO series were set in the United States. As a result, the character of Teal was usually replaced by Inspector Farnack, a New York detective of similar disposition who had been introduced in the novel The Saint in New York. Teal made his first RKO appearance in 1939's The Saint in London played by Gordon McLeod, and McLeod reprised the role in The Saint's Vacation (1941) and The Saint Meets the Tiger (1943). The Saint Meets the Tiger was based upon the aforementioned Meet - The Tiger!, only this time Teal replaces the character of Detective Carn.
In 1953 British Hammer Film Productions made The Saint's Return, which wasn't based on any of Charteris' stories. This film featured Charles Victor as Teal.
On television, Ivor Dean played Teal as a recurring character in the 1962-69 British series, The Saint. Teal appeared in two early episodes played by other actors (Campbell Singer and Wensley Pithey respectively). Dean appeared in another role in Teal's second appearance (an episode entitled Starring the Saint) before being cast on a permanent basis. The character did not appear in the spin-off, 1978's Return of the Saint. Teal made a reappearance in the first episode of the 1989 series of TV movies starring Simon Dutton. On this occasion, he was played by David Ryall
The most recent appearance of the character has been in the 1997 film version of The Saint, played by Alun Armstrong. Besides Templar, Teal is the only character from the original canon to appear in this loosely-based film.
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